This paper is concerned with the book ‘Who moved my cheese’ by Deepak Malhotra and an interview which was conducted with author in relation to it. It is also concerned with a TED talk given by Larry Smith entitled ‘Why you will fail to have a great career.’ It describe what can be taken away from both of these items in relation one’s own personal world view and career.
One of the central points of the article seems to be that one should not waste too much worrying about the current state of the world and that people who wish to be successful should get on with doing the things which they do have control over rather than worrying about that which they cannot change. This is complemented by the author’s warning that ‘even in situations where things are beyond our control and adapting is the only viable option…we should more than blindly accept out fate.’ (Nobel, 2011. 1) The interviewee argues that it is possible to still change things in our lives, however that this change can only come about by to some extent accepting circumstances and not worrying too much about other individuals or personal resentments. Malhotra states that ‘What is often holding us back from achieving greater success is not real limitations, but that we have internalized environmental pressures, social norms and the expectations of other people.’ (Nobel, 2011. 1) As such, the article encourages people to achieve success by taking control of their circumstances rather than feeling as if they a mouse in someone else maze. Doing this involves accepting some things but also making sure that people change what they can. The ability to make these changes and to strive forward is greatly helped by the realisation that one should not become hung up on the actions of others, as to do this is to already allow them too much control over one’s life.
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The TED talk makes similar points. Smith argues that people need to take control over their own lives and not worry about not being hung up on preconceived ideas about what they can or cannot do. Smith argues that people should not make excuses to stop them from pursuing their passions. He says that we should not worry about these hang ups and that we should pursue our passions and many of the reasons why people fail to have a great career is that they do not allow themselves to understand their true passion. He also argues that one must have the courage to be passionate about things, rather than simply being interested in them. In order to do this one must explore life and find as many interests as possible, but these interests should be overwhelmed by an overriding passion. Using various example he also encourages everyone to take personal responsibility for their actions and not make excuses about their lives or use other things, such as their circumstances of their family, as an excuse for not doing what they want to.
From both of these examples I believe that I will take the following three things; the first will be that I should constantly challenge the environments that I am in and not accept them as given, the second is that I should not make excuses about failing and blame external circumstances and, finally, that I should make sure that I can still make rational decision about my life and to make sure that I think about every step of my career, although these steps should be determined by what I want to do and am passionate about. I believe that these things will greatly help me in my future career.
- Nobel, Carmen. “Cheese Moving: Effecting Change Rather Than Accepting It.” Working Knowledge. 2011, 1-2.
- Smith, Larry. Why You will Fail to have a Great Career. Web. Accessed 2/4/14. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKHTawgyKWQ
